Michael Sgarbossa will make his season debut Monday night when the Avalanche visit the Canadiens.

Sgarbossa has yet to play a game for the Avalanche this season but will get his first minutes Monday night against the Canadiens. He has six career games at the NHL level and has yet to record a point. He will take John Mitchell's (leg injury) spot in the lineup after Mitchell left Saturday's game early versus Dallas and did not return. Mon, Dec 1, 2014 08:02:00 PM

Michael Sgarbossa will make his season debut Monday night when the Avalanche visit the Canadiens.

Sgarbossa has yet to play a game for the Avalanche this season but will get his first minutes Monday night against the Canadiens. He has six career games at the NHL level and has yet to record a point. He will take John Mitchell's (leg injury) spot in the lineup after Mitchell left Saturday's game early versus Dallas and did not return.

As expected, Sgarbossa got ice time with Chuck Kobasew and Milan Hejduk. Sgarbossa had one shot on goal in 13:29 minutes of ice time. He has gone well offensively in the minors, but he might not get enough playing time in Colorado to warrant owning.

Michael Sgarbossa will skate with Chuck Kobasew and Milan Hejduk in his NHL debut on Wednesday.

That's Colorado's third line in case you were wondering. Sgarbossa has been great in the AHL during his rookie season, with 16 goals and 36 points in 38 games, so he is very deserving of his recent callup.

Sgarbossa was called up by Colorado on Tuesday. He has 36 points and 41 penalty minutes in 38 AHL games this season. It's not clear what line he'll be on, but with Gabe Landeskog and Steve Downie sidelined and Ryan O'Reilly still unsigned, there is a potential top-six opening if the Avalanche wish to give him a shot in that role.

Sgarbossa was sent down earlier in January after not making the Avalanche out of training camp. He has 16 goals and 36 points in 38 games with Lake Erie and will replace Brad Malone, who was sent down to the AHL. Sgarbossa is an intriguing player, but we'll have to see what kind of opportunity he gets before recommending him in any format.

Sgarbossa entered training camp with a real chance of making the Avalanche's opening game roster, but he ended up falling short. He has 13 goals and 28 points in 34 AHL games with the Lake Erie Monsters.

Rookie Michael Sgarbossa has a good chance to crack the Colorado lineup this season.

Sgarbossa was undrafted but came into his own last season when he led the OHL in scoring with 102 points. He has carried his offensive prowess over to this season as he had 13 goals and 28 points for Lake Erie, second on the team. "I thought Day 1 (on Sunday), he looked a little bit nervous, which is normal. But you could see he's got a really good hockey IQ. He's a smart player," head coach Joe Sacco said of Sgarbossa. "I thought you saw that more (Monday), especially when we had the scrimmage. I could see that he's a player who wants the puck. He wants to make plays. Those are good traits and that's why he's an offensive player who puts points up." Stay tuned.

With fourth-year Avalanche center Ryan O'Reilly unsigned and seven defensemen locked into one-way contracts, a possible roster spot with Colorado could go to a 14th forward, and former undrafted free agent Mike Sgarbossa could be that man.

Sgarbossa, who last season was obtained from the San Jose Sharks in the six-player deal that also brought Jamie McGinn to Colorado, is having a terrific rookie year as a pro. The 21-year-old Sgarbossa was second in scoring with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League with 28 points, and tied for first with 13 goals and four power-play tallies. He led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring last season with 102 points, becoming the first Sudbury Wolves player to do that since Mike Foligno in 1978-79.

Sgarbossa went from posting 102 points in 66 games last season to scoring 11 goals and 26 points in 29 contests with the AHL Lake Erie Monsters in 2012-13. "When you lead your OHL team in points and now are putting up points in the AHL, it shows something. His compete level is good," Avalanche vice president of player development Craig Billington said. "Strong player." Not bad for a guy who was signed as a free agent after going undrafted.

Depth Charts

Ryan Getzlaf scored a goal and an assist in Sunday's 3-1 win over Dallas.

By scoring two points tonight, Getzlaf tied Paul Kariya for second all-time on the Ducks' scoring list with 669 career points. Getzlaf registered an assist on Corey Perry's first period goal and he scored a goal of his own late in the third period. The 29-year-old has collected at least one point in five of his last six games. Getzlaf has 20 goals and 61 points in 61 games this season.

Ryan Kesler scored a goal and added an assist in Friday's 4-2 win over the Kings.

Kesler's goal was a matter of being in the right place at the right time to finish off Andrew Cogliano's missed pass from Jakob Silfverberg, getting the Ducks on the board early in the third period. His assist came thanks to Corey Perry's ability to put one in the empty net from the defensive zone, after Kesler forced the turnover. He now has 16 goals and 39 points in 63 games this season.

Patrick Maroon picked up two assists in Anaheim's 6-3 win over Calgary on Friday night.

It was Maroon's second helper on Jakob Silfverberg's tally to make it 5-2 late in the third period that was pretty. Maroon simply made a perfect pass under Kris Russell's outreached stick and onto Silf's streaking blade for the one-timer. Marron now has 21 assists and 28 points in 51 games this season.

Emerson Etem scored his fourth of season in the Ducks' 4-2 win over the Kings on Friday night.

Etem started the play by evading Matt Greene's check by the offensive blue line and shoveling it behind the net as he lost his grip. Jiri Sekac moved it along to Rickard Rakell, who ripped one across the goal line, off Martin Jones and then off Emerson Etem for the game-tying tally in the third period. Etem now has four goals and eight points in 32 games this season.

Tomas Fleischmann is looking forward to being reunited with Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau.

Fleischmann used to work under Boudreau when they were both members of the Washington Capitals. "I'm just excited to play for him again," Fleischmann said. "I know what he can do. … He's a good players' coach. You always like to play for him. That's one of the reasons." He has seven goals and 21 points in 52 games this season with Florida. The Ducks acquired him in exchange for Dany Heatley and a third-round pick.

The trio combined for a goal on Friday as Etem found the back of the net in a 4-2 win over the Kings. "They played well," teammate Ryan Kesler said. "They were probably our best line, hemming them in. I think they hemmed them in for three minutes. (Kings defenseman Andrej) Sekera was on the ice for four minutes it seems. He was dying out there." The line could be quite a force in the playoffs for the Ducks.

The Ducks are getting calls on Matt Beleskey, according to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.

Of course, the complication is that Beleskey, an unrestricted free agent, has been important to the Ducks this season, and they have hopes of going far in the playoffs. Beleskey has 21 goals and 30 points, in what has been a career season. The forward is out with a shoulder injury but has recently started to skate again.

It was Perry's second straight multi-point game. That gives him 27 goals and 45 points in 49 contests in 2014-15. He's one of the league's top players, but unfortunately injury troubles and a battle with the mumps have slowed him down somewhat in 2014-15.

Emerson Etem and Francois Beauchemin scored Anaheim's other two goals in regulation time. Jakob Silfverberg accounted for the game-winner in the shootout. Silfverberg also recorded an assist for Anaheim, along with Hampus Lindholm, Clayton Stoner, Ryan Getzlaf, and Kyle Palmieri.

Kyle Palmieri recorded his 11th goal of the campaign in a 6-2 blowout loss to Florida Tuesday night.

Palmieri's numbers, when prorated over an entire season, look quite impressive, but he was made a healthy scratch last week nonetheless. Tim Jackman also recorded a goal for the Ducks in the losing effort.

The Anaheim Ducks are hoping James Wisniewski will help them improve their power play.

The Ducks rank 21st in the NHL when it comes to their percentage power-play conversions (17.4%) despite the fact that they have some great offensive weapons. Having a power-play quarterback like Wisniewski on the roster should help and that in turn should boost Wisniewski's productions. There's a good chance he'll finish the season on a high note.

Hampus Lindholm collected an empty netter and an assist in Anaheim's 6-3 win over Calgary on Friday night.

The empty net goal was a beaut as Lindholm banked it off the defensive zone glass and in, right down Broadway. The two tallies gives him six goals and 27 points on the season through 54 games. It appears safe to assume that he'll surpass last year's total of 24 assists and 30 points in 78 games.

Vatanen was injured on February 15 and it was thought he would be out four-six weeks so he should return by the beginning of April at the latest which would still give him 10 days in the regular season to get ready for the playoffs. "I will be ready before the playoffs," Vatanen said. "I can play some games and be ready for the most exciting time of the season." Vatanen was the Ducks top offensive defenseman when injured as he had 12 goals and 34 points in 57 games.

Korbinian Holzer, who has a concussion, has been acquired by the Anaheim Ducks from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Holzer was hurt in his first shift on Sunday. It's impossible for us to say how long he might miss due to the concussion, but he will help bolster the Ducks' defensive depth once he's healthy. He doesn't do enough offensively to warrant picking him up in standard leagues though. The Leafs received Eric Brewer and a fifth-rounder from the Ducks in the move.

Clayton Stoner will be in the lineup Monday night versus the Detroit Red Wings.

Stoner had missed Saturday's contest against the Oilers due a lower body injury but will be able to dress Monday night versus the Wings. Stoner will be playing in his 52nd game of the season Monday where he will look to find the back of the net for the first time this season. Eric Brewer will move back to the bench to make room for Stoner.

It will be his first game since Feb. 8 due to a neck injury. He has a 2.37 GAA and .916 save percentage in 44 contests in 2014-15. He was the clear starter before his injury, but he'll have to compete for playing time with John Gibson for the rest of the season.

Gibson was outstanding in the game and he was named the first star for his effort. The 21-year-old has stepped in for an injured Frederik Andersen and he's done a good job in the last little while. Gibson has won five of his last six games and he has an overall record of 8-5-0 on the season. The young goaltender has a 2.51 goals-against-average and a .920 save percentage.